Up until his death in 2000, Baden Powell was considered one of the world’s finest contemporary acoustic guitar players and one of the most expressive composers of the 20th Century Brazilian popular music. Powell grew up listening to music. His father, a shoemaker by trade and a violinist by calling, held regular get-togethers at home at which Pixinguinha and Donga, two of Brazil’s popular music icons, were always present.
In 1960, during a performance by Tom Jobim at Arpege, a nightclub in Copacabana, Baden met Vinicius de Moraes, who would become his most frequent collaborator and who was responsible for Baden’s integration into the bossa-nova movement. Moraes said of Powell, Baden’s musical antennae to Bahia and, in a final stretch, to Africa, allowed him to put together this new syncretism, adding a carioca taste, within the spirit of modern samba, to the Afro-Brazilian candomble, giving it a more universal dimension.
Soon after, Powell went to the United States to meet and play with Stan Getz and was a key player in the integration of the bossa nova into jazz. Above all, as an acoustic guitar virtuoso, he never forgot his Brazilian roots.
Baden Powell died September 26, 2000, in a Río de Janeiro hospital.
Discography:
Monteiro de Souza e Sua Orquestra Apresentando Baden Powell e Seu Violão (Philips, 1961)
Um Violão Na Madrugada (Philips, 1961)
A Vontade (Elenco, 1963)
Baden Powell Swings with Jimmy Pratt (Elenco, 1963)
Le Monde Musical de Baden Powell, Vol. 1 (Barclay, 1964)
Billy Nencioli + Baden Powell (Barclay, 1965)
Tristeza on Guitar (MPS/Saba, 1966)
Ao Vivo No Teatro Santa Rosa [live] (Elenco, 1966)
Os Afro Sambas de Baden e Vinicius (Forma, 1966)
Tempo Feliz (Forma/Polygram, 1966)
Poema on Guitar (MPS/Saba, 1968)
Fresh Winds (United Artists, 1969)
27 Horas de Estudio (Elenco, 1969)
Le Monde Musical de Baden Powell, Vol. 2 (Barclay, 1969)
Canto on Guitar (MPS/Saba, 1970)
Os Cantores Da Lapinha (Elenco, 1970)
Solitude on Guitar (Columbia, 1971)
Baden Powell Quartet, Vols. 1-3 (Barclay, 1970)
Baden Powell – Live In Japan ’70 (Barclay, 1971)
E de Lei (Philips, 1972)
Images on Guitar (MPS, 1973)
Estudos (MPS, 1974)
Apaixonado (MPS, 1975)
The Frankfurt Opera Concert 1975 (Tropical Music, 1975)
Baden Powell canta Vinicius de Moraes e Paolo Cesar Pinheiro (Festival, 1977)
Nosso Baden (WEA, 1980)
Simplesmente (WEA, 1980)
Melancolie (Accord, 1985)
Seresta Brasileira (Milestone, 1988)
Bossa Nova Guitarra Jubileu (Saludos Amigos, 1993)
Three Originals (MPS/Polygram, 1993)
Baden Powell (MPS, 1993)
Rio Das Valsas (Alex, 1994)
Guitar Pieces (Etcetera, 1994)
Live in Hamburg (Acoustic Music, 1995)
Guitar Music (Etcetera/Qualiton, 1995)
Live in Rio (Iris, 1996)
Os Afro Sambas (Iris, 1996)
Felicidade (Adda, 1996)
Rio Das Valsas (Iris, 1996)
Mestres Da MPB (WEA Latina, 1996)
Baden Powell a Paris (Rge, 1996)
Baden Powell (Musidisc, 1997)
A Vontade (Polygram Brazil, 1997)
Guitar Artistry of Baden Powell (Dom, 1998)
Baden Powell de Aquino (Iris, 2001)
Lembrancas (Trama, 2001)
De Rio à Paris (Body & Soul, 2003)
Fremeaux and Associates Recordings 1994-1996 (Fremeaux & Associes, 2003)
O Universo Musical de Baden Powell (Sunnyside, 2003)
Rio das Valsas (Iris, 2003)
Live in Montreux (Fremeaux & Associes, 2004)
Le Monde Musical de Baden Powell (Universal, 2005)
At the Rio Jazz Club (Iris, 2005)
Baden Live a Bruxelles (Sunnyside, 2005)
Musica (WEA, 2005)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.